How many of us sit at a desk all day? Do you carry stress in your neck and shoulders? How many of us are staring down at our cell phones and tablets for multiple hours every day? Our Oakville Acupuncture Specialist has seen it all when it comes to neck pain. We put A LOT of strain on our neck muscles, so it’s important that we put some effort into loosening them whenever we get the chance. Our Oakville Acupuncture Team is here to help!
Oakville Acupuncture: Problematic Neck Muscles
There are a few big culprits for neck stiffness, pain and even headaches! The suboccipital muscles, splenius capitus, levator scapulae, SCM and trapezius can all cause a tight neck!
- The Trapezius: This is a big muscle that attaches at the base of the skull, the tips of the shoulder and all the way down to junction of your mid and lower back. Theses are the muscles that feel great when someone rubs your shoulders. They often carry a lot of tension – especially when you’re stressed out!
- The Levator Scapulae: These muscles attach to your upper neck and run down to the upper corner of your shoulder-blade. These muscles can contribute to a lot of stiffness in the neck and upper back.
- The Suboccipitals: These muscles are located right at the base of your skull. There are 4 small muscles on each side of the skull that can cause all kinds of aches, pains and headaches when they get tight!
- The Splenius Capitus: Pain felt behind the eye and in the temple area can be a result of this muscle being too tense.
- The SCM: This muscle runs from the top of your sternum at the centre of your neck all the way up/around to the base of your skull. Tightness in this muscle can be felt at pain in the very top of your head!
Acupuncture Treatment For Neck Pain Oakville
The solution to this tightness? ACUPUNCTURE. It is so good at relieving the tension caused by poor work posture, cell phone/computer use and stress. Acupuncture needles are the answer to your tight muscle’s prayers. There are acupuncture points along the spine, into the trapezius, the suboccipitals and levator scapulae that can help relieve tension in all of these muscles. The needles only have to stay in for about 12-15 minutes and are painless when they’re inserted.
Have you ever woken up, realized you slept funny and can’t move your neck? A locked up joint in the neck can be incredibly painful and completely limit your range of motion. Typically this causes very sharp pain with any head movement, and you may feel like you need to keep your hand on your neck for support. Guess what – there are great acupuncture points for that too! There are some points that are located directly along the spine, and can actually touch the joints that get locked up in the neck. Using these acupuncture points helps to increase blood flow to the joint and helps to decrease the muscle spasm around the affected joint.
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How Does Acupuncture Fix Neck Pain
Acupuncture works via a few different mechanisms.
- Acupuncture stimulates blood flow to promote faster healing
- Acupuncture helps to relax muscles, reduce muscle spasms and alleviate muscle tension
- Acupuncture regulates the nervous system by modulating the release of certain neurotransmitters and other chemicals that influence pain perception
- Acupuncture stimulates full body relaxation and stress reduction
Risks of Acupuncture in Oakville
When completed by a trained professional, acupuncture is considered to be very safe. Dr. Jenn uses acupuncture for muscle and joint pain. The biggest risks are minor and include bruising, temporary discomfort, or temporary dizziness. Acupuncture performed incorrectly also carries the risk of infection, nerve injury and pain. For these reasons, it’s always important that acupuncture is completed by a trained practitioner.
If you’re wondering if you’d benefit from acupuncture, come in and talk to Dr. Jenn about it. It is an excellent option for treatment of neck pain – whether the root cause of the pain is the muscles or the joints!
Learn more about Acupuncture HERE